There is some background info that you need.
1) During the past few days before this experience my car door opener was not working well. I even put in a new battery. Still, when I would click it, nothing would happen. It was annoying.
2) My light (electricity) had been so constant for about 5 months and then…poof! It went back to what it was like before, which was so very very inconsistent.
3) My back door handle has a little knob above the handle that if you turn it, it will lock without having to use the keys to lock the door. I rarely use it because I just turn the keys which I leave in the door. In my front and back door I just leave the keys in the lock.
Ok, now for the story.
It was a Sunday night. I am trying to sleep. My fan slowly stops turning. “Oh, great, my light is off.” I laid there for a bit. I checked the time. It was after 10pm. I started hearing something outside. My water tank was overflowing with water. That is a good thing because the city sometimes shuts the town pipes and you may not get water for 2 weeks! I have a tank that stores water and the water that came that night filled it. But I needed to go and turn the handle on my tank so the water would stop overflowing.
I went towards the back door and turned the handle and I found it was not locked. I had been very diligent in locking my doors, even double checking them, it must have been that weird knob. Anyways, I run out to my tank, shut it off and walked back to the door and the wind started to pick up. The rain usually comes when the wind starts blowing, and then the wind blew my door shut. I go to open it and it is LOCKED!!! NOOOOOOO!!!! That blasted little knob locked!! UGH!!
I assess…I am in boxer shorts and a tank top. I cannot walk in my neighborhood like this. In the world of Tamale that is like being naked. It is late at night. My phone was inside. All articles of appropriate clothing were inside. WHAT DO I DO??? I pray. I calm myself down. I pray more. I go and get the hidden key which I kept outside. I already knew it wouldn’t work. My keys are inside the locks of the doors inside the house. When you put the key in from the outside it will not turn. Both of my doors are locked, and all my windows are barred. There is no way to get in. WHAT DO I DO??? (A quick thought as I looked at my filthy rugs on the ground… could I use it to wrap myself? No, those are too small.)
I prayed. I walked over to my car…I wondered… “did my car doors lock?” I pulled on the handle and VOILA! It was not locked!! I was so excited because I kept an emergency piece of cloth in my car, a wrap skirt. So, I was able to “put some clothes on” (as I type it, I say it in my mom’s voice). That was big relief number one. Grace Grace Grace!
My neighbor across the street had light. Our houses are all weird with the phase of electricity they are on. I do not think there is any rhyme or reason. I went to their house and knocked on their doors. No one answered. I knocked four times. Then I walked down the road a bit and there was a house who also had no electricity, like mine. Two men were sitting outside in chairs talking. Grace Grace Grace! Their rooms were too hot to sit in since they did not have a fan, so they came outside. I went over to them pathetically. I told them my plight. The one guy said, “Let me make a call.”
This is another reason I love Ghana. The craziest problems get solved at any time of day. He calls a friend and within 10 minutes the friend is at my house and they are unscrewing and hammering away at the lock. This is also Grace Grace Grace! The friend tells me he is going to have to destroy the door. I said, “I don’t care just get me back inside!” He tells me he needs to go to his shop for some tools, so he leaves. The wind is picking up and the lightning is coming. I was thinking that if it rains, they will all go home, and I will have to sleep in my car or something. But, he came back! He had a big ol’ crowbar and they again hammered away and pried the lock open. I kept praying and repeating to myself, “God is with me. God is with me.” They were able to break the lock and I got in. And the light came back on. All before the rain came. I was so thankful. So thankful. But, I still felt very under dressed and did not linger, nor did they with the rain coming. It was 11.30pm when I got into my room.
Of course, I couldn’t sleep I was so full of adrenaline and so I called my mom and aunties. They all laughed. I couldn’t laugh about it until the next day when I was able to reflect on all of God’s Grace Grace Grace.
1. I am so thankful my car door key did not work because if my car doors were locked, I would not have had a wrap skirt to cover myself.
2. I am so thankful the light went off. If we would have had light those two men would not have been sitting outside and I would not have had anyone to ask for help.
3. I am so thankful Ghanaians barely sleep (bit of an exaggeration) and that they are willing to come help ridiculous women in distress.
4. I am so thankful for God never leaving me or forsaking me.
The whole next two days I was praising God. In my house, in my car, in prayer times. I was full up! God really took care of me again.
End of the story—My welder came by the next day and went to town and bought me a new handle with locks. He got a door guy to come and fix where they cracked the door. And he also got a guy to come and paint that part of the door. See, these Ghanaians!! I tell you, they can be so helpful.
So much to thank God for! And praise God for Grace Grace Grace.
